Origins: The Guardian
by liztits
Summary: Echoes of past events nudge the tiller on my present course. Which events made Shepard the woman she is today? ASverse.


**Hellooooo! This is just a little bit in my ASverse about how Mindoir went down for my Shep. Sheppy shep. Shepalooooo. No. Shut up.  
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this little bit of a back story, and if you would review it, I would appreciate it. It keeps me in writing mode. This is probably gonna be a multichapter thing, about Shepards life up until ME1. Although I wouldn't ask me when the next chapters gonna be up because I have an Essay due, and an exhibition in a month. Yay art school.**

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"Amy!" _No, not yet.  
_"Amy, you have to get up!" _No, I don't.  
_I feel my blankets get ripped away from my legs and groan, rolling onto my stomach and burying my face in my pillow.  
"Amy Jennifer Shepard, if you don't get up right now I swear to god I'll take away your driving privileges for a week."  
Shooting up out of bed, I spin to look at my mother. "I'm up, I'm up!"  
"Good." My mother smirks, throwing a towel into my face. "You stink, get in the shower, your dad is starting breakfast."  
Grabbing a clean outfit, I trudge through the upstairs of our house, entering the bathroom and yawning as I start the shower. I hate Mondays, and school. It's not even 6am yet and I'm up, not to mention the fact I have to be a school for 7. Stupid extra biotics training. I don't even know why they make us take training, there's only 3 biotics in the entire school, and we're all in the same year.  
My mom and dad moved to Mindoir when my mom was pregnant with me. They wanted the freedom of colony life, so my dad asked his company for a transfer to a colony branch, and they headed here. They were heading to their new house when a truck overturned in front of them, spilling Element Zero everywhere. They were fine, but they were trapped in the car for hours afterwards, and the eezo did something, because 4 months later, I was born and I had the neat ability to glow blue and move things with my mind. I guess it affected other people too, because a lot of biotic babies were born that year.  
My dad calls me his little blue angel, and my mom complains about how much food we go through because I eat like horse, but she always packs me extra lunch on the days I have training.

I finish showering and dress, running a hand through my shaggy red hair, pushing it away from my forehead. I give myself a once over in the mirror, then head downstairs.

"I was beginning the think you'd drowned kiddo." My dad tells me as I entire the kitchen, dropping down into the chair next to my little brother, John. I roll my eyes causing my brother to laugh, and my dad to spin around, hand on his hip. "I guess I know two people who don't want pancakes then!"  
"NO! Dad no, I'm so hungry." John whines, "She did it!"  
"You're such a little tattle tale, John." I sigh, "I'm sorry dad, please give us pancakes."  
He spins back around, smiling. "That's more like it. Now, where did I put my spatula?"  
I spy the spatula sitting on the counter behind him, and using my biotics, lift it and float it towards him. "AH! Thank you. Don't let your mother see you do that, though."  
"Do what?" She asks, walking into the room, holding a fresh pint of milk and followed by my best friend Teresa. While my mom is accepting of my abilities, she's terrified I'm gonna break something and won't let me use them in the house.  
"She was picking her nose." My dad states casually, flipping over a pancake.  
"DAD!" I exclaim, flushing red even though I know it's a lie.  
"She flicked a booger." My brother adds helpfully, causing the red on my cheeks to deepen.  
Teresa laughs, wrinkling her nose and calling me gross.  
I met Teresa at biotics training, the first week of high school, and we'd been fast friends ever since. She got my sense of humour, and we both wanted to explore the galaxy when we were older. We were going to enlist in the Alliance, much to the chagrin of our parents, when we were 18.

My dad was dishing up the pancakes, John bouncing impatiently in his seat, when this huge bang shook the room, knocking over everything on the table.  
"What was that?" My mom asked, rising from the table.  
"Stay here with the kids, I'll go and check." My dad put the pan down on the edge of the table, before leaving the room and edging towards the front door, stopping to grab the pistol his work jacket.  
We sat in the kitchen in silence, listening to the sounds of banging coming from outside. Then we heard the first scream, followed by gunshots. My mom shot back up from the table, rounding to the door just in time to collide with my dad, who was running back into the room.  
"Run. You have to get out of here, now." He told my mom pushing her toward the back door. "Take the kids, and get as far away as you can, I'll hold them off."  
"What are you talking about, David?" Mom asked, eyes wide.  
"Batarians. Slavers I think. There's hundreds of them. Hannah, please, please just get the kids as far away as possible." He embraced my mom slightly before turning back to the door, pistol braced. "I love you."  
"I love you too." My mom told him before turning back to us, trying to usher us towards the back door.  
"I have to find my parents." Teresa mumbled in confusion.  
"We'll look for them when it's safe honey." My mom told her, pushing against us again, trying to get us to leave.  
"I can stay dad!" I tell him, pushing back against my mother. "I can fight, let me help."  
"No, you have to…" he trails off slightly as a louder bang explodes behind him, before stumbling forward slightly. He moves a hand up to his chest, and the rapidly spreading red patch blossoming across his shirt. "GO! NOW!" He yells, trying to turn and dropping to his knees.  
My mother lets out a sob but listens, finally pushing us out of the door.

We run aimlessly into the fields behind the house, trying to put as much distance between us and the attackers as possible. We only stop running when my brother trips and falls to his feet.  
My mom pulls up, scooping John up from the ground and checking him for injuries.  
"Where are we gonna go?" I ask, swiping at my fringe.  
"The old barns, I'm sure no one will check there."  
"But what's happening mommy?" John asks, sniffling into his sleeves. "Where's daddy?"  
"Some bad men are here, and they want to do bad things, so all the big, strong daddies are going to protect us so we can hide from the bad men, okay?" John nods in understanding, and my mom scoops him up into her arms.  
I know she's lying, and dads dead, but we've gotta keep moving. Maybe me and Teresa would be strong enough to take a couple of guys down.

We head to the far end of the field, crouching down behind a wall as some Batarians pass, before climbing over and running to the nearest barn. If my mom thinks we'll be safe here, it's good enough for now.  
We start to climb up to the top of the barn, to hide in the hay, when John pricks his hand on a nail and begins to cry. My mum tries to quiet him, but it's too late.  
"There's someone in here!" We hear being called from outside. I know what I have to do and drop down to the main floor, hiding behind a stack of crates and focusing. I feel the familiar tingle of my biotics spreading across my body, and through the corner of my eye, I see Teresa do the same.  
I can hear my mom protesting from the upper floor of the barn but I don't have time to listen to what she's saying as a group of Batarians burst through the door.

I watch them approach, guns raised and eyes sweeping around the room as I focus my powers yet again, feeling the energy shift from my entire body to my hand, before I stand up and send a shockwave powering their way.  
"There's a biotic in here!" One screams as he's flung into the wall behind him.  
Following my lead, Teresa uses a Slam, picking up a downed Batarian and crashing him into the wall, where he slums to the floor, lifeless.

More flood the room, and we move back a bit, giving ourselves a bit more room to work. At first it's kind of fun to fight, but I can feel myself tiring quickly, and I can see Teresa doing the same.  
She makes a fatal mistake though, in her tiredness. She leans out of cover, sending a new shockwave towards the group of slavers in the door, and one fires in her direction, clipping her on the shoulder. She falls back, gasping, as more shots rain down on her.  
My eyes widen in panic as I search for a way to keep them off us while I help my friend. I see a beam, fracturing and send a concentrated warp it's way, bringing down part of the barn and causing confusion. I use the confusion to quickly switch covered, pulling Teresa up against the wall.  
"Are you okay?" I ask, frantic.  
"Just a flesh wound." She grins at me, but I can see the pain in her eyes. She has multiple gunshot wounds down the left side of her body, and I don't know how I'll be able to move her before the Batarians get through to us.  
She is obviously thinking the same thing, because when I look in her eyes, she looks defeated.  
"Get out of here." She tells me, straining and pulling herself into the middle of the room. "I'll keep them preoccupied while you go."  
"No, we can fix you up, there's gotta be some medigel somewhere. I can't leave you!" I reply, turning and watching her settle herself against a beam.  
"I'd bleed out before we made it anywhere, and you know it." She clenches her fists, which start glowing softly. "You've gotta look after your mom, and your brother. Let me do this."  
I sigh, knowing she's made up her mind. She's always been stubborn. Even if we were just playing games, she'd have to be the hero. I guess nothing changes.  
I cross to her, bending down and hugging her softly, feeling her good arm hug me back. "Thank you." I whisper, unsure of what to say. We've never really been one for feelings.  
She smiles at me, pressing something cold and metal into my hands. A gun. "One of the Batarians dropped it. You need it more than I do." She says, eyes darting back to the fallen beam. "Now go, they're coming."

I quickly clamber up to the top of the barn, quietly gathering the remainder of my family and kicking open an escape hatch.  
After checking there are no more Batarians outside, I signal for my mom to climb out, before passing John to her.  
I'm climbing out of the hatch when I hear the Batarians break through.  
"Come on you bastards!" Teresa screams in defiance. "I'm not afraid of you!" A few seconds later as I reach the ground, I hear her scream. Then it's quiet.  
"Come on," I turn to my mom, wiping an errant tear. "We've gotta keep moving."  
"Are you okay?" She asks, eyes running over my face.  
"I'm fine." I say, my voice sounding hollow. "Come on." I stalk off in the direction of the fields again, unsure of where to go.

"We could try heading back to the house." My mom tells us, as we cut through the wheat fields, quite well hidden by the long crops. "If they've already been though then maybe they won't check back again. We could hide in the attic."  
"If you think it's worth a shot." I reply, running my hand over my eyes. I'm exhausted, now the fights left me. I just want to sleep, but we have to keep moving.  
I feel a tug on my leg, and when I look down, John is holding out a chocolate bar. "I snuck this earlier." He explains, pressing it into my hand. "But you need it more." He's only 7, and on any other day, my mom would tear him a new one for taking extra sweets, but she just pats him on the back and smiles at me.  
I thank my brother before wolfing down the chocolate bar, barely even chewing the snack. I feel a little better, and we press on, coming to a stop at the fence on the other side of the field.  
We crouch down while my mom pokes her head over the wall, checking if it's safe.  
I find myself wondering where the Alliance are. Surely they should be here by now, saving everyone, killing the aliens. Doing Alliance things. But it's quiet. And it's getting quieter. The screams have almost died down, and the only other noise is the occasional gunshot, and the crackling from the house that's on fire a few spaces down from ours.  
"I think it's clear." My mom tells me, crouching back down.  
"Okay." I say, standing up.  
I come face to face with a Batarians, and start, pressing down on the trigger of the gun I forgot I was even holding and shooting him in the chest. His eyes widen and he drops to the floor, gurgling slightly before becoming completely still.  
"Oops." I say, stood frozen. I just killed someone. With a gun, not my biotics. I didn't even mean to shoot!  
"Amy, come on, we have to keep moving." My mom tugs on my arm, pulling me out of my thoughts.

We make it back to the house relatively quickly and without another incident, and start to head up the stairs, trying to avoid looking at the body of my father, slumped against the doorframe. My mom still tried to avoid looking as she stooped down, prying the gun from his fingers.  
We're half way up the stairs when we hear talking again.  
"I'm sure I saw someone go in here." Someone speaks from outside. We all freeze in our position on the stairs, unable to think of anywhere to run.  
"Shit." My mom breathes, palm against her boyfriend.  
"Mom said a swear!" John states, wide eyed, not grasping the gravity of the situation.  
"I'll lead them away." My mom says, ignoring my younger brother.  
"What?" I protest.  
"Take John, hide upstairs, stay low and stay quiet. I'll lead them away, they don't know we're all in here."  
"No mom, you can't do that! You can't leave us!" I cry, feeling tears streak down my face.  
"You kids are more important. I'll try and stay safe. I'll come back for you when it's over. Please." She begs me, face crumpling.  
I know she won't be coming back if she leaves, that she'll probably die, but I know she won't take no for an answer. If I keep arguing, she'll probably knock me out, drag me upstairs and then do it anyway.  
"Please try and stay safe." I tell her, leaning down to lift up John. "I love you."  
"I love you too. Both of you. Please, get upstairs now." She turns and starts heading toward the living room.  
I carry John, who's whimpering softly, to the top of the stairs, and open the attic door. It smells like mould in here, and it's so full of dad's old crap we can barely move, but we crouch in, behind a stack of old boxes, and pull the door shut behind us and I hear the front room window smash, followed by shouting and gunshots, leading away from the house.  
John is still crying softly as I slump back against the boxes, exhaustion taking over my entire body.

I wake with a start. When had I fallen asleep? I grasp around for the gun, finding it on the floor next to where I had curled up.  
"John?" No answer. I look toward the door and see it sitting ajar. Shit.  
I clamber up from the floor, stretching out my aching muscles before I move to the door, prying it open gently and listening. It's quiet. Maybe he just went to his bed to sleep?  
I creep down the stairs to the second floor, peaking in all the bedrooms and finding them empty. He's not here.  
I tiptoe down the next flight of stairs, listening carefully. I almost step on the creaky stair my dad has been saying he'd fix for the past two years but had never gotten around to, but I stop myself, lowering myself on the step below. I can hear John now. He's talking, but I can't make out what he's saying.  
I move closer to the sound of the noise, carefully stepping over the body of my father and edging my head toward the door of the front room.  
"Get up Mommy." I hear John say, and I quickly whip my head round the door. "Please get up, what if the bad men come back?" He asks. My mom doesn't reply, and if the huge puddle of blood around her is anything to go by, she probably isn't going to respond.  
"John, come here." I tell him, motioning to him with my arm. The door to the stairs is at the back of the room, and I can only see John's silhouette, the lights from outside shining through the window.  
"But mommy needs to get up! Why won't she get up!" He's practically shouting now, and if there's any Batarians left outside, they're going to hear him.  
"Moms not well, Johnny, she can't get up. Please just come here, before someone sees us." I practically beg, edging closer to him.  
"But why!" He screams, and I see shadows moving closer to the window.  
"John, please, they're coming!"  
He finally hears the frantic tone to my voice and starts approaching me, but it's too late, and they've seen us.  
"They're in here!" One yells as he jumps through the window. "We've been looking for you kids all night. Now you stay there, and no one gets hurt."  
John doesn't listen, turning and trying to run back toward the stairs. The Batarian raises his gun at the same time I raise mine, and I fire off a shot. He falls back, bullet lodged in his forehead, and I breathe a sigh of relief.  
I turn to John, ready to grab him and get out of here before any more turn up. John's lying on the stairs, and at first I don't understand what he's doing.  
"John, get up. We have to leave." I tell him, edging closer. Then I see the wet patch on his black t-shirt. No. "John?" I try again, voice wavering.  
I reach him and lift him up, turning him over. He's still alive, but barely.  
"Amy?" He speaks, and his voice is so weak. "Where's mom?" He doesn't know what's happening.  
"It's okay John." I choke out, "you'll be with mom soon." He takes a few more shallow breaths before his chest stills.  
I can hear more Batarians arriving outside, alerted by the gunshot. I lay John's body gently down next to my mothers, before I rise.  
Looking down at my t-shirt, covered in the blood of my little brother, I feel anger rise within me. I pick up the gun the slaver dropped when he fell, cocking it before moving to stand in front of the door.  
If I'm gonna die, I'm at least gonna take out as many of these fuckers as possible.

Feeling the familiar tingle of my biotics, I throw up a shield before kicking open the front door and firing off a shot into the face of the closest alien. I run through them, using a combination of biotics and bullets to put half of them down easily.  
It gets a little harder when the first gun runs out, and then the second.  
I last a little longer until I fall to floor, gasping. I hear another Batarian approach and throw up a barrier, although it's weak and flickering. He kicks me onto my back easily.  
"Oh, I'm gonna enjoy this, you little bitch." He smirks, raising his rifle to my face. I scrunch my eyes shut, and hear the gun fire, but feel no pain. I open my eyes to look up at the slaver, whose own eyes are looking down at his chest, where blood is gushing out at an alarming rate. I'm not dead. He slumps to the ground, and I lift myself up on an elbow just in time to see an Alliance trooper take out the rest of the Batarians in the area.  
He does a quick sweep of the area, checking for any other aliens before he kneels down next to me.  
"Hey kid, are you okay?" He asks. "I'm Lieutenant Zabaleta, I'm gonna get you out of here."  
I don't reply, and he lifts me up, carrying me back towards the direction of his ship.  
I'm alive.  
I'm alive and I don't feel anything.


End file.
